Written by Ben Bolch at LA Times.com
A late regular-season game against an Eastern Conference team with a losing record just became one of the hottest tickets on the Clippers’ schedule.
Blake Griffin is expected to make his return April 3, against the Washington Wizards at Staples Center after the Clippers announced Sunday that the power forward had been medically cleared to play and would begin serving a team-imposed, four-game suspension for punching a team assistant equipment manager.
It will be the first of seven games in which Griffin will get to play before the Clippers open the playoffs. Griffin was sidelined since Christmas because of hand and quadriceps injuries before returning to practice Saturday.
Initial reviews of a player who has sat out 42 games were mixed.
“He had no endurance as far as his wind, but as far as just playing basketball, he looked terrific,” Coach Doc Rivers said before the Clippers defeated the Denver Nuggets, 105-90, Sunday at Staples Center. “It’s amazing watching what three months does, though, as far as memory of the sets and the timing. That wasn’t pretty, but overall he looked good.”
Rivers said Griffin would probably remain in the starting lineup.
“It’s how many minutes in a row can he play,” Rivers said. “If you went by [Saturday], it would be three. But hopefully by then he’ll be better. … Honestly, I don’t know if you can get him in condition to play 35 minutes or 30 minutes right away.”
Griffin’s value to the team was evident when the Clippers practiced end-of-game plays Saturday and realized all the ways they could utilize the versatile player.
“Everything is a lot smoother when Blake is on the court,” point guard Chris Paul said. “Just our continuity and the way our offense looks, it just gives our team an ultimate confidence.”
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